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bae-del-moon · 5 months

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Whispers in the Dark || K.SW

† genre: horror

† word count: 6.2k

† warnings: possession, graphic exorcism scene, violence, idk

† synopsis: it started out small with whispers and body aches and things moving around. now he's a different person entirely—or perhaps not even a person.

† (a/n): it's a little very corny lol it's like every possession movie I've watched compiled into one fic of cliches. but yeah fun times 👍

† taglist: @scuzmunkie @hipsdofangirl @hydroyaksha

anthology | main masterlist

It started out small with barely anything seemingly off or askew. Though then again, the two lovers were up in the clouds and blinded with joy over their new house, so maybe it was just them ignoring the blatantly obvious. But after a few days of settling in, things started to become weird.

There was always this feeling of being watched. Even as Sunwoo would leave for work in the mornings, (y/n) would still feel the eerie presence of someone lingering nearby, eyes trained on her at all times. Particular spots of the house felt most uncomfortable, and so she'd make it a point to avoid them at all costs. Sunwoo never commented on it either way, and so she chose to keep the anomaly to herself. Preserve the ever so fragile peace which remained in this place.

But then it began to manifest itself. She'd catch glimpses of someone—or something—in the corner of her eye, but when she'd turn, it'd be gone. It was always the same image as well. Of a dark, shadowed silhouette of a person. Brooding in the recesses of her house and her mind. The one who continuously watched her every move. Perhaps she was tired and seeing things, or perhaps she had grown more suspicious of the once happy abode the longer she stayed in it.

But those glimpses soon grew more obvious. More intense.

Looking up to see not only her reflection, but something else behind her. Waking up in the night to see a spot of the room darker than the rest. Walking up the driveway and seeing it staring out the window at her.

At this point, she had to voice her concerns to her boyfriend. It was beginning to eat away at her psyche, her body on constant alert and growing weaker with the incessant paranoia. Knowing that they weren't the only ones in their new home.

But Sunwoo was dismissive at best. Not only did he not believe her, but he also questioned her sanity, asked if she was truly okay or not. The way he pressed the back of his hand against her forehead as if ascertaining whether she truly was healthy or not was the breaking point for her, slapping away his hand with an unexpected yet not surprising harshness.

The next few days were rough, walking on eggshells around the other to prevent another fallout in what was supposed to be a happy time of their relationship. The occurrences continued to grow both in frequency and intensity, and (y/n) was merely forced to take it with a grain of salt. Sunwoo was unbothered by it all, his only turmoil seemingly being the strained relations he held with his significant other.

(y/n) took every opportunity she could to stay out of the house. If a friend needed help moving something, an invite to a company dinner was sent to her, a sale at her favorite store—she'd certainly be present there than at the inescapable and suffocating fortress of that house. Anything she could use to delay her inevitable return was taken advantage of.

Sure, it was petty. Sure, she should've pressed more in the communication department. Sure, she was perhaps adding fuel to the flames. But she couldn't find it in her to be any sort of accommodating. Not in that place. Not when this overwhelming and crushing weight seemed to fall upon her whenever she passed the threshold. The debilitating sense of dread seeping into her very being with every moment spent within those four walls. That constant, pervasive feeling of eyes lingering upon her no matter which way she turns.

Yes, she could've talked to Sunwoo more, but it was entirely incomprehensible to her how the man didn't seem to feel anything similar to her. In the sparing hours they spend together after work, he seems none the wiser. Nonchalant as he ambles about the place, this disconcerting rhythm in his mannerisms as if he's well acquainted, comfortable even, with the place already. Like he doesn't feel the heaviness that just hung in the air at all times or the sensation of being watched every moment you're conscious. He just seemed to be existing.

(y/n) could see their relationship growing more and more strained. Morning chitter chatter seemed to dwindle into mere formalities, saying what must be said before departing for work. Movie nights and shared dinners waned into her coming home as late as possible, and Sunwoo well asleep in their bed. They texted when they could, updating one another on their whereabouts and such, though that was about it.

Already, in a mere few weeks, the house had torn apart the seemingly sturdy foundation they once had established as a couple. Though her relationship began to be the last of her concerns.

Sunwoo grew more reclusive. On the days she'd find herself showing up home at an appropriate hour, she'd find him sitting in the living room. Alone, in pitch black, with no TV on whatsoever. It startled her every time, but upon seeing her, he'd stand and greet her as he usually does, though now in a more… empty, rehearsed way. They hadn't really been talking much, so it seemed reasonable for him to be awkward at this point.

They'd eat together, though Sunwoo began to eat less and less, the leftovers he'd leave on his plate growing by the day. In the mornings, he'd take a sip of his coffee before leaving for the day, abandoning his thermos upon the kitchen table. It concerned her, and when he was asleep one night, she found herself raising his shirt, seeing how his body was beginning to wither away. His skin grew pale, his torso defined with lack of fat, his face becoming gaunt. She felt her heart clench upon itself at the sight of her beloved Sunwoo suffering so, and in the back of her mind, she found herself blaming the household.

As much as she loathed it, as much as her body writhed upon itself at the mere prospect of it, (y/n) began spending more time at home. Feeding Sunwoo as much as she could, doting upon him with every fiber of her being, rambling on about whatever seemed to pass her thoughts. The warmth of his smile felt like a remedy to her tortured soul, a reminder of the good that lay within this cursed house. The way his laugh filled the empty space brought a sense of life that was once devoid in their living space. Sunwoo alone had the ability to make this house feel like home, and she remembered why she loved him so much.

After a few days of this new schedule, she was suddenly awoken in the middle of the night by an abrupt jostle in bed. Blearily, she squinted through the fluorescent lights pooling into the dark bedroom. Her mind was fogged by the haze of sleep, though she began to come to—began to process her surroundings. The source of the light deriving from the bathroom, the lack of Sunwoo beside her, and the terrible retching sound now filling the atmosphere.

(y/n) had rushed over as soon as she processed the situation, crouched beside Sunwoo with her hand along his back as he emptied the contents of his stomach. His body trembled beneath her touch, a sheen of sweat caking his skin. And as if to make matters worse, between the upheavals of his body, he managed to make out one word.

"Hospital."

A few traffic laws were broken in her haste to get to the hospital, but eventually she made it, dragging Sunwoo as much as she was able to into the emergency center. Though not even an hour later, they were being sent off.

"His vitals are fine. Perhaps a bit malnourished at the moment from his nausea, but he seems to be fine." The doctor explained, flipping through a stack of papers with a dismissive shrug. "Could be just a bad case of food poisoning, son. Just make sure to take it easy for the next few days. Try to avoid greasy and spicy foods. Drink lots of fluids. Make sure he's eating, though."

The drive home was silent. In regards to Sunwoo's case, (y/n) couldn't tell what he was thinking. He just sat there, staring ahead with this blank expression. In her stance, she was beyond worried for Sunwoo. She didn't understand what was going on. She didn't understand what was happening to her boyfriend at all.

The sight of the house made her stomach churn, grimacing as she reluctantly pulled into the driveway. It was silent between them, though only for a moment before Sunwoo was turning to open the door.

"S-Sunwoo!" (y/n) called out, arm shooting forth to grasp at the sleeve of his shirt. He froze, back facing her as his hand remained on the handle of his door. "Sunwoo, why don't we go someplace else? We can go to a hotel, call out to work in the morning, spend the day relaxing together. How does that sound?"

It was another bout of pure silence, Sunwoo as stiff as a board as (y/n) desperately clung to him. Eventually, he finally turned to face her, and she felt hope at first. Hope that he would listen to her. Hope that she'd be able to get to him for once. Hope that he'd be able to put an end to whatever was happening.

Then she got a look at his eyes.

Soulless, apathetic vats of darkness, glaring at her with such unbridled disdain that she found herself recoiling from him, hand retracting almost instantaneously as he cornered her with those heinous eyes of his. And for a moment, she didn't recognize what was in front of her. She didn't see Sunwoo at all. It was like an entirely different person in front of her.

But then he seemed to snap to, blinking away that momentarily evil farce for a neutral, tired look. Like a poor kicked puppy, Sunwoo came back to her, brows furrowed as he shook his head.

"Sorry, baby, I'm tired. I just want to go to bed for now. Maybe some other time." And then he slipped out of the vehicle. When the door closed behind him, she released the breath of air she'd been holding, pressing a palm to her racing heartbeat as her eyes trailed after Sunwoo sluggishly dragging himself back into their house.

What was that just now? What just happened? Sunwoo had never looked like that before. Sunwoo had never felt like that. It was strange, ominous even. As if some form of an anomaly that wasn't meant to be. As if something beyond her preconceived notion of reality. As if an invitation to begin questioning her world more than she already had been. Yet at a moment's notice, he had reverted right back, as if the turmoil he'd implemented into her mindset was for nothing.

Warily, she watched Sunwoo drag himself into the house, taking this moment to herself to recuperate from the whirlwind of a scene that had just transpired seconds before. He pushed open the door, stepping into the house in his weakened state, body slumping upon itself tiredly. And through the bleary image of her tear ridden eyes, she could see the vague, obscured shadow of a hand sliding upon Sunwoo's shoulder as he sunk into the inky blackness of the house's interior.

That night seemed to be the mere precipice of the hell which would ensue shortly after their return. Sunwoo had gone back to how he had been before. Only eating a quarter of his plate before pushing it aside. He all but rejected every offer of food she presented him, even scowling at her when she tried hand feeding him. He grew thinner by the day, skin practically graying before her, like the rich saturation of his once tanned skin was all but dissipating into thin air. His eyes were sunken with defined bags weighing down beneath them. His lips were down turned most of the time—perhaps all the time. And the few moments of sleep he did manage to receive were disrupted by late night attacks.

Nightmares that left his body shaking, drenched in a cold sweat as he heaved for air. (y/n) would be there to comfort him, stroking back his hair and bringing him back to reality, only for him to pass out once again with no recollection of the night before. At times, she'd catch him staring off places. Sat up in the bed and staring at the corner of the room, leant against the couch and staring at a blank TV screen, standing in the bathroom and staring at his own reflection. She'd snap him out and he'd be off doing whatever he does, again with no acknowledgement of his prior behavior.

At this point, and with no other reasonable explanation for such behavior, (y/n) had taken it upon herself to begin searching for new apartments. They'd be tight on money, but it didn't matter. She'd give every earthly possession of hers to ensure Sunwoo was safe and secure. This house did not provide that certainty.

She spent her free day scrolling through housing selections online, marking whatever caught her eye before proceeding on to the next. Curled into the couch and bundled in a blanket, headphones in and playing one of her playlists. Completely oblivious to the world around her, including that of the presence of the boy now standing behind her.

"(y/n)."

The voice that suddenly spoke made her heart plummet to her stomach. A deep, resounding voice that penetrated through the music playing in her ear. A voice she never once heard a day in her life, now reverberating in her skull like an incessant drum with its residual echo haunting her.

Springing to her feet, she whirled around, breathless as if every ounce of air had been expelled from her lungs from the sheer terror of it all. Though upon turning to the source, a conflicted sigh of both relief and confusion seemed to subtly quell her alight nerves.

"Sunwoo," she huffed out, pressing a shaky hand onto her rapidly beating heart. Nervously, she laughed, trying to make sense of whatever just happened—sort reality from imagination. "You scared the shit out of me."

"What are you doing?" He asked, completely ignoring the state she found herself in. His eyes were zeroed in on the phone in her hands, its screen still displaying local listings for apartments.

"Nothing…"

His eyes lazily rolled up to meet hers, glaring at her through the dark circles that enshrouded his gaze. There was an irritated scowl across his face as his head crooked to the side.

"We both know you're lying." Slowly, he began to round the couch, and as he drew closer, (y/n) took tentative steps back, clutching the device to her chest as she remained focused on the man nearing. An intimidating tension settled in the air, the adrenaline from before kicking back up as she trembled under his stare. Like a scene of a predator approaching its prey, she found herself utterly cornered as he continued to loom closer until he finally stood right in front of her, caging her against the wall with his presence. "Your God doesn't like liars, now does he?"

Her tongue had gone numb, mouth dropped open as if wanting to speak, but her voice had left her. A chill ran down her spine as she stared into the eyes of the man before her. Someone she didn't even recognize anymore at this point.

In less than a second, she felt her phone snatched from her hands, yet before she could give any sort of reaction to the matter, Sunwoo threw the phone across the room. Helplessly, she watched as the device crashed into the wall with an agonizing crack as both the wall and the device seemed to crumble in unison onto the floor.

"Sunwoo…" Her voice was weak, coming out as a strangled whisper, looking desperately between what just occurred and to her boyfriend who merely stood there staring at the spot with an unreadable expression. Before anything else could be said, Sunwoo tore his gaze from the scene.

"I'm sorry." That was all he mumbled before he ran off to their bedroom, head downcast and steps brisk, leaving (y/n) there in a stupor reflecting on what just happened

"Thank you for coming," (y/n) greeted the elderly woman as she hobbled into the home peacefully, a light grin and a curious eye taking in the place.

"Of course, dear. I don't get many house calls these days," She laughed casually. Her eye caught the hole in the wall, glaringly obvious amongst the otherwise spotless white of the rest of the room. "So I've read your recap in the email you sent. Would you like to add anything else?"

"I'm not sure." (y/n) nervously fiddled with her fingers, nails scraping down her cuticle beds as she recounted the past few weeks. "Things have just been different since we bought the place. I thought I'd just be scared of the house itself, but now…" She bit her lip, refusing to meet the perceptive gaze of the old woman, as if bearing her soul before a stranger. Except this stranger seemed rather receptive to it.

"That's why I'm here to help in any way I can."

The reassurance was enough for (y/n), looking up to the lady with astonished relief and a settled heart. She trailed behind her as the woman waved about burning incense, muttered things in a foreign language, and looked around the house for any anomalies.

At some point, she unveiled a series of objects for (y/n) from her bag of items. Bundles of twigs and ferns tied with a piece of twine. The only indication of it being anything unique was the attached sigil on the string. These were placed above doorways and beneath objects.

"Keep these candles alight." She handed (y/n) a batch of long white candles. Her frail hands wrapped around (y/n)'s arm as soon as the transfer was complete. "It'll ward off any negative spirits that may be lingering. It'll keep you safe."

"Thank you… I appreciate your help."

"Of course. Call me if things go wrong. Keep me posted."

With that, the woman was gone, and (y/n) was once more alone in the house. She spent this limited time setting up the candles, placing them around the living room where Sunwoo would be sat eventually. Her nerves ate away at her, hoping with all her might that this would be the end of this harrowing chapter of their lives. That the candles really would displace anything that's attached itself to their house or themselves. That the normalcy of their mundane lives would return as if nothing ever happened.

The sound of Sunwoo's car pulling up startled (y/n) into action, standing from where she was seated and expectantly staring at the doorway. With every sound outside, (y/n) grew more and more anxious. She recognized the sound of his car turning off, the sound of his door closing behind him, and that of his footsteps growing nearer and nearer. She felt her breath caught at her throat as he unlocked the door, and her head seemed to spin momentarily as he finally entered.

The first thing he took in was the candles, and then his gaze drifted down the hall to their bedroom, and finally he rested his attention onto (y/n). Her stomach twisted at the apathetic stare her way. The way his lids sunk with weariness, as if fed up by it all. Memories of their last altercation briefly flitted across her mind, and she found herself rooted where she stood, as if by standing completely still, he would ignore her entirely.

It seemed to work, as he dropped his stuff on the floor and stormed off into the house, leaving her standing there in a fearful awe, wondering what he'd do next. As if trapped in an enclosure with a wild animal, expecting the unexpected at all times. When he reemerged moments later, there was something clenched in his hands. (y/n) hadn't the time to analyze before Sunwoo ducked under the couch and snatched up another one. Another charm placed by the woman.

The branches snapped in his grip, shards of wood trickling behind him as he went about and removed each and every one of them, as if knowing exactly where to look. Upon seizing the final one placed above the kitchen's entryway, he turned around and left the house, door kept wide open so (y/n) could watch in horror as he threw it all away in the bin outside, completely and entirely unaffected by them.

Once more, she was rooted to her spot, but rather than as a defensive mechanism, it was out of pure terror. Sunwoo's eyes were trained on her as he made his journey back into the house, figure growing more and more imposing as he drew nearer. The door slammed behind him in a violent manner, causing (y/n) to flinch at its ferocity.

When he finally stood in front of her, reminiscent of just a few days prior, his eyes momentarily glanced at the series of candles illuminating the living room.

"I suggest you clean up, (y/n)," He spoke, venom laced in his words as he turned back to face her. "I don't like strangers coming into our house. So remember that next time."

With that, he left once more. She trembled in the wake of his absence, breaths shaky as she attempted to gather herself together and get into action removing the candles, lest he return with a vengeance. She had briefly headed over to their bedroom in hopes of reaching out to him, though stopped short upon stumbling on the state of their doorknob, now indented by the placement of his fingers.

It was perhaps the most startling revelation of this entire ordeal thus far. The one that wrapped up the evidence collected and gave her the conclusion she did not want to accept. Because how else could a man as frail and weak as Sunwoo looks now be able to put such pressure on a doorknob like this?

That day, she slept on the couch, facing the hallway and making sure Sunwoo never stepped out when she least expected it.

The next morning, (y/n) prepared breakfast. Sunwoo sat at the table behind her and she felt the presence of his stare upon her back, monitoring every minute movement she made. Her new phone lay beside the stove where she frequented it with nervous glances, praying for time to move so Sunwoo would go to work. Though upon her umpteenth glance, she suddenly began to receive a call.

An Unknown Number. On any other occasion, she'd have most likely ignored it. Though with the stifling atmosphere and the discomfort of Sunwoo's insistent surveillance, she found herself almost immediately answering the call.

"Hello?" She spoke, voice as leveled and steady as she could muster. Anything to draw suspicion away from the maddeningly paranoid man seated only a few feet away.

"Hello! This is (y/n), correct?"

(y/n)'s eyes bugged out of her skull from the sheer shock of hearing the woman's voice again, heart rate accelerating as she dared a momentary glance to Sunwoo. He was occupied reading something on his phone, not even noticing (y/n)'s subtlety. Turning back forward, she continued with cooking, clearing her throat again.

"Yes." It was all she could think to say. Anything else could potentially tip off Sunwoo—something she wanted to avoid at all costs.

"Is he in the room?"

Another pause on her part before she answered the same way.

"Yes."

"I take it… the measures didn't work? He's still… the same?"

"Yes."

She heard the woman sigh, muttering something and shifting in the other line.

"Stay put. We'll have to go to our second initiative. I'll come retrieve you later at the same time as yesterday. Is that okay?"

(y/n) took a moment to process the information. Retrieve her? Meaning she'd be… taken away from here. Away from this house of terrors. Away from the anxiety that's plagued her soul for so long now. Away from all the darkness that lurks within every corner and carries with in nothing but bad omens.

Away from Sunwoo.

"(y/n)?"

"I'm sorry?" Another pause as she dragged herself back to reality. "I mean… Yes."

"For now, lay low. I'll come with help."

"Okay."

The line went dead, two muted beeps being the last thing she hears before she placed the phone on the counter once more. She didn't know what this entailed. She didn't know what the second plan was. She didn't even know there would be a second plan. And the prospect of there being help needed in this endeavor only served to further propel (y/n) into an internally frenzied state.

Absentmindedly, she scooped her breakfast onto a plate, mind still wandering aimlessly as she turned away from the stove.

A gasp fell past her lips as she came face to face with Sunwoo, his close proximity startling her enough to drop the plate once held in her hands. It shattered as it collided with the floor, ceramic shards skidding across the linoleum and littering the kitchen like a field of landmines. Yet Sunwoo seemed unaffected, far too invested in boring holes directly into (y/n)'s soul.

His eyes were wide, almost in a maddeningly intrigued state, unblinking like a statue. At such a slim distance away from each other, perhaps the closest they've been to one another in weeks, she could see the decay in his character. He seemed entirely drained, as if just an empty vessel at this point. Eyes glazed over with a sort of dull sheen, haggard and tired looking, skin that seemed devoid of any color, having lost the vitality he was once brimming with.

"Sunwoo…" (y/n) mumbled, shuffling back against the stovetop as carefully as she could muster. Her feet bumped against the shards beneath her, their scraping sounds against the floor offering the only sounds within the whole house. Yet Sunwoo again remained unperturbed, still staring at her with every ounce of energy left within his depleted body.

"Who was that, (y/n)?" His voice came out gravelly, almost strangled sounding even, as if forced out after its lack of use, yet still uncharacteristically steady with a low timbre.

She tried answering him, though her mouth ran dry, lips opening and closing helplessly as stuttered clips of her voice seemed to penetrate the hazy state she found herself in. As she floundered before him, cowering beneath his imposing stature which loomed over her with little to no regard for her pitiful state, his facade finally seemed to crack with the most minuscule of eye twitches.

"Who was that on the fucking phone, (y/n)?" He spat out the inquiry through gritted teeth, veins protruding from his neck as he drew impossibly closer to her, practically swallowing her whole as she backed as far into the stove as possible, the harsh metal digging into her lower back to get as far from Sunwoo as possible.

"It was just a coworker!"

"Liar!"

His voice boomed with pure unbridled rage, forcing (y/n) into the appliance behind her with a violent jostle. Her body ached at the impact site, and she could faintly feel the sting of a shard slicing beneath her foot, though she could barely even process the pain at these junctures, what with the voice that had suddenly bellowed forth from Sunwoo's body.

It was something she recognized. Something she had momentarily heard just yesterday, and something she couldn't really understand at the time. Something beyond her comprehension and reasoning. Yet now, it seemed as if her thoughts were as clear as could be.

It emanated from him with this eerie sonority. A disconcerting fusion of tones that seemed to coalesce and diverge in a discordant symphony. It held an otherworldly, menacing quality, as if several voices, each with its own timbre and cadence, were vying for dominance within the same vocal cords of the decrepit man they were housed in. The result was this haunting cacophony of layered articulates, a chilling chorus of spectral echoes that sent shivers down her spine.

A low, animalistic growl began reverberating deep within his chest, its encompassing resonance filling the atmosphere between them. She gazed at him frightfully, wary of meeting his eyes, skin prickling with nerves as she remained trapped before him. A debilitating discomfort seemed to broil within her. Something primal. Instinctual, as if her mind were seemingly overriding every other function of her body for the sole purpose of escaping as soon as possible.

Adrenaline now coursing through her veins, she shoved Sunwoo back with all of her might. It didn't impact him as much as she thought it would have, though it was enough of a surprise for her to take advantage of his momentarily stunned state and run.

The short distance from the kitchen to the main door felt almost endless as she heard his growl suddenly grow louder and infinitely more furious than it had initially sounded.

Yanking the door open felt liberating, and the sense of freedom which came from shedding the all consuming pressures of that accursed house and embracing the open, fresh air was near cathartic. She tumbled into the front lawn, breathless as her heart thumped incessantly in her chest. The blades of grass tickled at her exposed skin, the dew of the morning still lingering on their sharp ends and soaking her clothes, though the cool moisture and the soothing morning chill helped in diluting the rush that had taken over her body.

Still laying across the grass, (y/n) whipped her head behind her, shakily taking in the house once more, with objectively more opened eyes.

It stood as a malevolent force of nature against the unassuming and quaint suburban scene it lay within. It seemed like any other structure throughout this block, blending into the neighborly charm that had first captivated the couple, yet now she could see more closely the stark, ever foreboding shadow that seemed to radiate from within. There was this palpable aura of malignance that exuded from its very foundation, suffusing the atmosphere with this chilling dominance that seemed to both lure unsuspecting victims yet ward off those who knew of its intentions—and (y/n) seemed to have just crossed this threshold of knowledge.

She didn't know for how long she lay there, trembling from the aftermath of the morning, desperately attempting to regain whatever composure she could. Her eyes had remained locked upon the open doorway, waiting for the moment Sunwoo would come and drag her back into that depraved, ungodly house. Yet he never did. Instead, what drew her back to reality was the sound of a car pulling into her driveway.

"(y/n)!" The woman came rushing over to her with a haste (y/n) thought she'd never embody. The elderly lady helped (y/n) to her feet, practically dragging her up against her will before tugging on her arm. "Come, let's get you out of here."

For a moment, (y/n) followed with a hazy mind, merely following along without any sort of comprehension of what was happening. Though she finally snapped out of it when she saw two men walking by her, adorned in black robes and crosses.

"Wait," (y/n) mumbled, beginning to resist the woman as she turned just in time to see the men enter the house. "Wait, who are they? What's going on?"

"You shouldn't be here for this." Again, the woman attempted to pull (y/n) away, but when she heard a familiar scream inside, (y/n) had suddenly become alert as ever.

"Sunwoo. What are they doing to Sunwoo? I need to get him."

"(y/n)!" The woman grabbed her shoulders, squeezing them beneath her bony touch, eyes widened and frenzied. "That is not Sunwoo in there. You know as well as I do that Sunwoo is not here right now."

(y/n) felt herself sink into this deep, muddled tunnel vision. The voice of the woman seemed to muffle until finally growing mute. (y/n)'s eyes remained on her, but all she could hear was Sunwoo's screams from within. Anguished, desperate cries. Guttural as he screamed with all of his might, nearly drowning out the Latin incantations that were being hollered at him. She could feel her limp body being pulled away again, her bloodied and bare feet brushing against the cool dew of the grass once more, the yells growing further and further away, until one cry reached her ears.

Her name.

She slipped out of the woman's hold, whirling around as she booked it for the house. Her mind screamed at her to turn back, to leave this horrific scene, as if her great morning getaway was for naught. Though she was too compelled by the weakness in her heart that couldn't bear to be without Sunwoo, especially at a moment like this.

Barreling into the house, she froze at the nightmare taking place. Sunwoo bound by ropes onto a chair, thrashing about with every fiber of strength in his feeble body, head whipping to and fro as the two priests spoke affirmatively before him, bearing crosses aimed his way as they read from a small leather bound book. Visible veins now spread across his face like cracks of lightning in the sky. Blood pooled the whites of his eyes, his irises near indecipherable from the darkness now encompassing them. The sight broke her heart.

She felt the woman's touch rest upon her back, no longer attempting to pull her away as she had beforehand. She now merely served as an anchor for (y/n), as the girl bore witness to her beloved Sunwoo in this anguished, horrid state.

The room seemed to quake with the guttural symphony of Sunwoo's screams only growing louder in intensity, his skeletal form writhing against the restraints that bound him. The air grew thick with this suffocating tension, walls trembling as they attempted to contain the battle of light and darkness within. The priests pressed on, voices unwavering as their incantations poured forth like a tide against the dam of evil that obstructed them.

And then, in an instant, the abhorrent cacophony of screams that had once consumed the room ceased. Sunwoo's body fell limp, sagging against the chair in an unconscious state, his once wild eyes now vacant, staring into the abyss of the unknown until finally sliding shut.

Without any hesitation, (y/n) rushed to his side, skirting past the company that stood motionless in waiting. Her hands trembled as she gently lifted his head into her arms, cradling him against her chest as tears pooled in her eyes.

"S-Sunwoo?" Her voice quivered as she whispered his name, eyes darting across his face for any sign of life. Only silence greeted her as the first tears began to pour down her face.

For a moment, it was pure and utter silence. Her quiet sobs broke the tension as the priests and the woman slowly reconvened, watching the scene before them with tormented hearts, allowing (y/n) her time to grieve. Though that hadn't lasted as long as they had intended.

With a suddenness that sent a shockwave through the room, his eyes had snapped open. (y/n) paused in her crying, analyzing the face that looked up at her. His eyes were no longer that of a tormented soul they had been just moments prior. Instead, they now gleamed with this… eerie serenity. A calm that seemed to stretch infinitely.

A macabre smile curled upon his cracked lips, blood seeping from the corners as they slowly dripped forth from his mouth, staining his skin a ghastly crimson. And in a cracked, hollowed manner, he spoke.

"He's gone."

The words dripped with finality. A statement for the people who stared at him with irrevocable fear. As if an undeniable truth which could not be refuted. As if he spoke not of an unfortunate departure, but instead that of an inevitability forced upon the lot.

His lips spread even further, watching (y/n) with intent fascination as she drew away from him, trembling with tears streaking her face. He laughed, this raucous, jarring sound that immediately prompted the priests to continue their incantations. Though (y/n) knew their efforts were fruitless.

She had collapsed onto the floor, breaths growing shorter and more frequent, chest convulsing upon itself as she crumbled in upon herself. She could feel his stare still upon her, hear his crazed laughs flood her mind, taunting her with his demented victory. And all she could do was lay there, vision growing blurry and hearing growing fuzzy, world spinning and reality deteriorating before her. Left only to confront the daunting truth forced upon her.

Her beloved Sunwoo. The man who she bought her first house with. The man who filled her days with joy and laughter. The man who rekindled the spark of love within her that she thought had gone dormant. The man who showered her with his endless waves of love. The man who she had promised her life to.

He was truly, undeniably gone.

#EVERYONE READ THIS #OH MY GOD #how do I even begin to tell all of y’all how well written this is? the build up? the emotion that just keep piling on?#it’s— if you could see my hand gestures right now you’d understand just how - WOW #me dejo con la boca abierta #no había leído algo que me gustara tanto EN TAN LARGO #automatic reccomendation #one of my new faves #reblogging so I never lose it #a: papermatisse #sunwoo x reader #.rec

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bae-del-moon · 9 months

Text

With Love, From the Other Side of the Apocalypse | Full Fic Preview

pairing: sunwoo x f.reader

rating: M (for suggestive and violent themes) | TW: death, blood, and zombie-decaying bodies

words: approx. 5590

genre: angst, romance, post-apocalyptic!au | childhood friends-to-lovers-to-exes-to-lovers, slow-burn

summary: When the world came to an abrupt end, the years you spent avoiding your hometown and those who came with it after graduating high school fell kaput. After months of solitude, you find yourself packing what you can and driving for days just to get back. Unsure of what you expected, you find yourself having to confront the mess you left behind. You're no stranger to a broken heart. Neither are they. You're the one who broke Sunwoo's heart, after all.

a/n the original one-shot I posted months ago can be found here // a teaser to the full fic I'm writing for E's 26th birthday !

Before the world ended, it always felt like there wasn’t enough time to spend as you liked. Yet, there always seemed to be plenty of time to be stuck in a plague of your own thoughts.

After the world ended, there was plenty.

Still, what with the world just having ended and the living, human population having been drastically reduced (not to mention the places you had wanted to visit were no longer easily accessible), you found that you still couldn’t spend your time as you would have liked. That left you with too much time. Time to think about food, water, about shelter, and medicine. But, above all, it left you with time to fester with thoughts that all began with a ‘what if.’

It meant you had time to think about your ex.

Before the world ended, you were able to ignore everything and anything that had to do with him.

It hadn’t been easy. You’d left home right after graduation for early freshman integration courses. You’d blocked his number and social media accounts. You’d even cut off your friends because they had been friends with him too.

But now you had time and no classes, assignments, or people to veer your thoughts in any other direction they could.

You’d tried stocking up on food, water, any supply you could think of. But, the outcome was always the same. You were alone.

You were alone, and yet, he was always there.

There was no avoiding him now. Every time you closed your eyes, he was there. Sweaty and still clad in his dirty soccer uniform, strands of his bangs clumped together and pressed against his forehead. He waited for you outside the classroom the teachers had chosen for tutoring that day. He leaned against the wall across the door, backpack slung over his right shoulder.

You always woke up in a cold sweat just after he came into view, and you pushed open the door only to lock eyes with him.

You shook those thoughts away quickly. It was easy. You just reminded yourself of the many years that had passed since you last saw him. And, if that didn’t work, you thought about the possibility of finding someone else just as alive as you if you went outside.

Eventually, that stopped being enough, and instead of shaking the thoughts of him away, you found yourself wondering how much he had changed before the world ended. How much older did he look? Did he still have the same impish look in his eyes he had when you started dating? Had he—

Whether you shut your eyes or not, your thoughts wandered, and he was always there, waiting for you. Sometimes he was the snot-nosed little boy that glared at you every time your moms stopped to talk to each other outside your elementary school’s pick-up gate. Other times, he was the tousled-haired, sweaty, high school sophomore that liked to pin you against the trees of the little forest behind the school’s soccer field after school and kiss you shyly under its shade.

His hooded eyes opened, and his bruised lips parted as the two of you tried to catch your breaths. The smirk that shaped his lips as he brushed his nose against yours taunted you.

Remembering the way he looked, remembering him, came far too easily.

It made you want to scream.

When the world came to an end, you found yourself at the laundromat, folding the clothes that had just finished drying. It hadn’t taken you long to notice that something was wrong, and when you finally saw blood begin to fall, you shoved the rest of your clothes into your duffle and ran.

At that point in your life, it had only been a pair of months since you finally graduated with your degree from university. It had only been a pair of months since you moved to a neighboring city instead of going home.

You hadn’t been sure you’d ever be able to go home, then.

You spent days moving from store to store when the world ended, hiding in break rooms and manager offices, only moving as much as you dared on each day until you finally made it home. It would be little to no exaggeration to say that you practically blacked out the moment you left the laundromat.

The only thing you could clearly remember was the moment you twisted your key into your apartment’s lock and stumbled inside.

Months had passed since that day, and you had yet to find another living soul. Thoughts of the boy who had broken your heart were the only solace you could find, even as your heart twisted at the memories.

Had he died? Where was he when died? With who?

You wondered, was he still friends with your friends? Had they managed to stay together?

You clicked through the pictures buried deep in your memory drive, finding pictures you swore to yourself you’d deleted.

You wanted to go home. You missed it.

But could you do it? Could you make it home?

You spent days questioning whether it was a good idea or not. It wasn’t. But, if you went home, what were the odds you would find anyone still alive?

Going home meant seeing all the people that had raised you dead and zombified. The friends you had cut off, the ones that had decided to study closer to home— would you be able to face them, dead or alive? And if he was there too?

What if he had gone home before the world ended? What if he’d been there when the world ended? Were you ready for your first encounter with him after the break up to be now? Now that he was a member of the undead?

The thought of it sent you reeling.

Still, you found yourself packing your clothes and toiletries into your large suitcase, stuffing everything else you couldn’t bear to leave behind into another. At last, packing all of your food, medicines, and first aid kits into duffle bags and crates, thinking about the distance you needed to cover to get to the nearest car dealership and own your first car.

Once you were there, you took all the keys you could find, frantically hoping one of them belonged to a car bigger than a sedan. Luck was on your side, though not without choosing to frighten you at first.

As you attracted more and more attention from the undead, cars blaring to life as you pressed the unlock button on each of the key fobs hoping you were near its pair, you found it was the last key you tried that belonged to a larger SUV.

You raced home, leaving behind the zombies you had amassed and half-eaten bodies of the dead, and pools of dried blood you were sure were going to follow you into your dreams.

Stragglers followed you on the way home, and you dared to hope that there wouldn’t be any on the lawn of your apartment building. There weren’t, but the same couldn’t be said about the lawn of the building across from your building or the street between the two.

They followed you as you parked, daring to block the doorless entry to the building with the right side’s passenger doors. After a few trips between your apartment, your car, and two zombies in the hall across from yours that you managed to slip past later, you had all of your things stuffed into the backseats of the car.

You could fix them into the trunk later, you told yourself.

That’s how you found yourself, weeks later, two towns away from your own, walking down the aisles of a quaint mid-sized market, pulling cans of fruit and frozen meat into a basket.

You’d spied the market from the gas station where you’d stopped to refuel your car. It was risky, but you’d taken the four refillable, red gas cans you spied and filled those too.

A thunderstorm had reached the town by the time you reached the store, and you parked haphazardly in the lane directly across from it, making sure the driver’s door faced the entrance.

You were soaked from the multiple trips back and forth you made. But you couldn’t find it in yourself to care much. Not when the cold was helping keep the ice in the meat cooler from melting quicker. Or because the thunder and lightning that struck practically stunned the undead for minutes.

Inside the store, the silence unnerved you. Thoughts of what you’d find when you got to your hometown plagued you. The undead, undoubtedly, and you knew you wouldn’t be able to stay there for long. Or, at the very least, you wouldn't be able to leave your parent’s house for a few days, weeks if the food held out.

You bit your lips as you walked down the aisles, contemplating the idea of grabbing spicy chips— or maybe barbecue— before continuing on your way.

Thunder rolled as you turned the corner and were forced to a stop like one of the zombies roaming outside, your heart caught in your throat.

He stood at the end of the aisle next to the one you had just come from, a backpack hanging from his shoulders and a duffle bag in his hands.

He stared at you, the same big brown eyes you remembered wide, a bandage on his cheek, and his lips parted in surprise.

There was a bag of bread in his hands, and he clutched it, his fingers digging into the slices and mushing them together.

“Y/N.” He whispered first.

You gulped.

Lightning struck outside.

“Sunwoo.”

☣|| [++☠++] || [++☠++] || [++☠++] || [++☠++] || [++☠++] ||☣

[I]

You had to be an idiot. There was no other way to explain what had compelled you to agree to follow him back to your hometown and to the rest of your once-friends. The look he had given you when you’d agreed. The way he had swallowed and said nothing afterward was enough to know he hadn’t been expecting you to agree, either. You were beginning to wonder what he’d been planning to say to convince you when he proceeded to shove the bag of bread into his duffle bag, then a few more from the shelves without turning away from you, that the thought disappeared just as quickly as it had formed.

Then he nodded to you as if he were asking you to lead the way. You supposed he was because you couldn’t conceive what else he might be trying to say.

The trek to the exit doors, the same ones you’d come through, was silent beyond the sounds of the storm. Without meaning to, you both stopped once you’d taken a step outside. Side-by-side, you both stood under the store’s protruding roof, sheltered from the rain.

Thunder boomed again before he struck a thumb toward the other end of the store.

“I parked by the loading docks.”

You motioned to your car a couple of yards in front of you.

Sunwoo nodded, “I’ll be right back.”

He stalled for a moment, staring at your car expressionless before turning on his heels.

Having caught the blank look, your gaze flicked back and forth between your car and his back.

“Do you…” you shifted, “Do you want me to give you a ride?”

He stopped and threw you a blank look over his shoulders. He was only a couple steps away, unprotected from the falling rain, but he made no motion to return. “No. That’s alright. That’ll just draw their attention, and then we’ll be trapped back there.”

“Okay,” you nodded. The word tumbled out awkwardly from your mouth, and you fought the urge to fidget and frown at him.

He stared at you for a moment longer, then nodded, turned back around, and kept walking.

It was unfair, you realized as you watched him saunter away, just how unaffected Sunwoo seemed to be after seeing you for the first time after so many years. Now you were sure he’d fared completely well after you’d broken up. It hurt you to accept that it was exactly as you had thought.

You waited until he turned the corner, shuffling past a group of stunned zombies, before sprinting to your car.

You shoved the basket of food onto the backseats and waited. It was uncomfortable. It felt like an eternity before you saw a dusty blue minivan turn the corner.

He drove at a turtle’s pace as if by driving slower, he’d be able to avoid drawing the attention of the undead. Instead, they began to shake themselves out of their thunder-induced stupor and shuffle in the direction of the minivan.

You could see packs of zombies over the entirety of the lot starting to turn in his direction. Though they had yet to swarm around his car like agitated bees, you could already envision it happening, and you dreaded it.

A handful already followed him from behind. You could see the figures clustering together through his windshields. At the sides, one or two zombies pawed at the back doors angrily. But it wasn’t until a group of seven crossed his path and blocked your view of the front of his minivan that you felt your fear turn into an indomitable terror.

Your hands moved without much thought, and you shoved your car key into the ignition. You twisted it and fought the urge to let go and hit the gas when the undead jolted toward you at the sound of the engine roaring to life.

Hardly a moment later, as if you had turned his car on instead of your own, he revved his engine and headed straight toward you.

He ran over the group of zombies in front of him, laying three of them under the wheels of his car and sending two others into the air. The last one in his way hit the hood of his car, staining the dusty blue paint job and the front windshield in dark red splotches that smeared when the zombie inevitably slipped off.

He skidded to a stop next to your car seconds later, tires screeching as they tried to grip the wet ground.

Your windows lined up almost perfectly. The space between your cars was so minuscule that you felt an absurd burst of road rage threatening to escape you at the sudden thought that he’d almost clipped your side mirror.

Eyes narrowed into slits, you’d been about to scold him when you finally looked at him, and the rage dispelled.

Sunwoo pinned you to your seat with a wide-eyed look. His chest rose and fell in quick succession, panting as if he’d run instead of driven. His knuckles paled ghastly from the grip he had on the steering wheel, and even though it was raining, you felt like you could swear his face was glistening because of sweat.

You took in the sight through the layers of glass between you. The amount of time the two of you spent like that, you couldn’t say, but at the very least, the undead had yet to surround either of you.

Eventually, your hand shot out blindly toward the button that would lower your window, but he shook his head.

You met his eyes, and he nodded forward, giving you another piercing look before letting his car roll ahead of yours and come to a stalling stop. He waited for you.

Once your car moved forward, positioning yourself to line up behind him, he surged forward. It was clear once they got going that Sunwoo had no qualms about ramming his minivan into the wandering bodies of the undead if they were in the way. If he had, he’d overcome it in the lot they’d left.

You frowned. The look you’d caught in Sunwoo’s eyes flashing in front of you every time you noticed another broken body coming out from under his car.

Every now and then, when lightning struck ahead of them, your gaze gravitated toward it, you’d catch Sunwoo’s stare in the reflection of his rearview mirror. Disconcerted, you looked away as quickly as she could each time. Eventually, though you were embarrassed, you found yourself looking too. When the rain was pouring too heavily to see much anyway.

Lightning struck while you stared in his direction, questioning why you found Sunwoo’s gaze on you every time it did. You found this time was no different. His big brown eyes stayed fixed on you for the couple of seconds it took for the sky to flash and lightning to strike miles ahead. Then everything was dark again, and your high beams just barely pierced through the torrents of rain.

Was he looking at you? His eyes reflected back to you, but really, wasn’t he merely looking into his rearview mirror? It was a basic driving rule, you insisted to yourself. It would be weird if he didn’t. You hadn’t owned a car, but you’d read the driving handbook and passed your road test. It was a habit essential to driving.

But, a smaller voice insisted, if it was a habit, why was it always when lightning struck.

Clarity, you rationalized, he can see through the rain then. He mustn’t care about crashing into other cars. After all, you yourself hadn’t seen another car galivanting down the road. And crashing into the undead didn’t seem much of a worry.

You breathed, exhaling as you nodded to yourself. Then lightning struck. Your eyes met his again through the mirror, and you knew.

The slow-moving car. The wide-eyed look he’d given you. The stare he held on you when lightning struck.

You couldn’t be sure, not without asking him, but it was as if he needed to make sure you were still there. As if he couldn’t believe you had agreed to follow him back.

Perhaps they were in agreement then.

☣|| [++☠++] || [++☠++] || [++☠++] || [++☠++] || [++☠++] ||☣

The rain had yet to let up when the two of you finally reached your destination, and you found yourself driving through the tall, iron-wrought gates of your old high school, looking up at the main two-story building.

Sunwoo had driven up directly to the gates, running over the zombies that stood stunned and in the way without a second thought. The two of you had stood there, cars stalling as the gates opened, for an absurd amount of minutes, it had seemed to you.

Then, with the gates screeching shut behind you, Sunwoo stopped and parked as he was, meters from the main entrance.

You were sure the severity of the rain hadn’t changed in the while it had taken for you to park directly behind his car. But, you could see them.

The doors to the main entrance had opened while you parked, and three figures filed out. They stood at the top of the five-step stoop, arms crossed as they waited for the two— or maybe just Sunwoo— to step out. He shot you a look as he opened his door. Though you weren’t sure what it meant, you stayed in your seat, too afraid to move. A moment later, when he slammed his door shut, not even the distance between you and the three on the steps, let alone the glass and metal that was the car encompassing you, was enough to muffle the chastising he was receiving.

“What the hell were you thinking leaving like that?!” Your breath caught in your throat. “In that damned car! Eric hadn’t even finished outfitting it!”

“Sangyeon,” Sunwoo sighed, though it nearly sounded like a groan.

“You couldn’t have brought anyone with you?! Taken Kevin or Hyunjae with you?!”

“Where did you even go? And why the hell did you bring someone back with you?!”

“New,” Jacob groaned. “That’s not fair.”

“Not fair? NOT FAIR?! WE’RE RUNNING OUT OF FOOD, AND HE THINKS IT’S A GOOD IDEA TO BRING SOMEONE ELSE TO FEED!”

New fumed, gesturing wildly in your direction. He stood on Sangyeon’s left, glaring at Jacob, who stood to Sangyeon’s right and merely shook his head at him.

“Can I speak now?” Sunwoo snapped. “Or is that too much to ask?”’

“DO NOT snap at them, Sunwoo.” Jacob snapped back in return before taking a deep breath. “You know they have a point. You shouldn’t have snuck out. You shouldn’t have taken a car that hadn’t been fixed yet. You shouldn’t have gone alone. What if something happened to you? Do you think we were just going to be able to let you go so easily? You have to stop being so reckless.”

Sunwoo’s shoulders sagged. “Sorry. I only went a town over to find food.”

“Alone,” Sangyeon growled.

Feeling chastised and a tad guilty that you were a voyeur to Sunwoo’s scolding, you clambered out of your car without a second thought and regretted it the moment you slammed your car door shut.

They stared at you as if you had just told them the end of the world had been nothing more than an elaborate prank. Eyes blown wide and their mouths agape, it seemed like they hardly even took notice of the torrents of rain coming down on them.

Meters behind Sunwoo, you were surprised they could even see you. For a moment, you thought they stared because they couldn’t see you. But the frozen looks on their faces that you were able to discern were enough for you to know that they did.

You swallowed and smiled shakily, raising a hand to wave hello.

The silence was impenetrable by anything other than the rain.

“Y/N.” Someone finally said. Sangyeon. You swallowed again, noting the lower pitch of his voice. You squinted, trying to make sure it was he who had spoken, but the pour of the rain prevented you from being sure.

Still, you went with your gut feeling and greeted them, stepping forward until you were standing next to a smirking Sunwoo.

“Hi.”

“Y/N.” New scoffed as he crossed his arms over his chest. He glared at you, and the flimsy smile you sported wavered.

Sunwoo nodded. “I brought Y/N back. Found her going down the aisles of that one market a town over. You know, the one by the town’s edge, where the team buses used to stop.”

Sangyeon nodded only once and slowly. Then, in the silence that followed, New scoffed once again.

“I brought back food, too, if you’re interested.” Sunwoo smiled thinly.

“Just get inside,” Sangyeon snapped before turning on his heels and stalking inside.

Sunwoo followed closely behind, and before you knew it, you were standing outside with only New and Jacob for company.

“It’s—”

New scoffed again, and though you couldn’t see it, you knew he had just rolled his eyes at you. He didn’t wait for either of you after that, choosing to pivot on his heels much like Sangyeon had and storm inside.

You waited for the school’s doors to clang shut, nearly flinching, before speaking again. “Three scoffs in less than five minutes,” you laughed, biting your lips afterward. “That’s got to be a new record.”

Jacob shook his head. He smiled kindly at you though small, and it took all the energy you had to keep yourself from sobbing.

“His record is five in five minutes now, actually.”

“I see.”

“Come on.” He waved you forward. “Let’s get inside and change out of these clothes before we end up with a fever.”

☣|| [++☠++] || [++☠++] || [++☠++] || [++☠++] || [++☠++] ||☣

The school’s cafeteria tables had been pressed and stacked against the sidewalls. It left the large room feeling like it was practically empty. Were it not for the four tables they had placed at the center like a square without corners and the hobo fire at the center of it all, you were sure you would have mistaken the cafeteria for an interrogation room.

The hallways themselves had been deserted while Jacob led you to the girl’s locker rooms and suggested you take a shower. Everything you needed would already be there, and he promised he’d leave you a change of clothes on one of the benches near the door for when you were done. He had even been kind enough to leave a note promising the pair of boxer briefs he’d brought were clean, though you had still hesitated.

Cocooned in the warm blanket Jacob had given you on the way to the cafeteria, sitting in front of the hobo fire, your back to the door, you realized it was the only kindness you would be receiving.

The cafeteria may have been intended to be a sort of center of operations, you judged by the boxes of food and supplies you saw stowed under a table, but at the moment, you felt as if it were moments away from becoming the interrogation room you felt it had just barely avoided becoming.

You could feel their stares, their eyes burning holes into you while you kept your fixed gaze alternating between the mug of tea Jacob had gotten for you and the pair of black sweats you now wore.

They were all here, at least, all alive.

Eventually, you lifted your gaze and fixed it on the glow of the fire emanating from the trash can. You hoped they’d think your mind was lost in the fire while you took them in.

Kevin studied you from the kitchen window where the lunch ladies used to serve the meals they’d prepared for the day. His face was thinner now you noted, more angular as he’d lost the baby fat you remembered. His eyes were still as sharp as ever, though, and you were sure he had already discerned things about you even you hadn’t noticed yet.

Jacob leaned against the window’s counter. Haknyeon and Hyunjae stood on either side of him, toying with the lunch trays in their hands. They had their backs to you, so you couldn’t see their faces clearly, and take in how much they had changed. You could tell they had gotten bigger, shoulders wider than you recalled. At the very least, you contended yourself with the knowledge that you could still tell it was them.

It didn’t take you much to reach the conclusion that the three were listening to Jacob recall how you had reached them.

Avoiding Kevin’s eyes, you moved your gaze toward Sangyeon, who was packing supplies into a box. Younghoon and Juyeon looked the same as you last remembered them. They hovered behind Sangyeon, looking over a shared clipboard.

It took you a moment to realize Sangyeon's lips were moving.

He had always been good at speaking without moving his lips much. You could guess what he was saying to them too. Their faces were blank in concentration, trying to give nothing away.

“It’s done!” Eric shouted happily, doors flinging open as he strolled inside. “I set up another room AND managed to fix the generator. Now where is she?!”

You were startled, nearly spilling your tea, and the tense silence of the room intensified. It didn’t take long for Eric to spot you, running to you even before you had turned fully around. He pulled you into a standing hug, squeezing you until you regained your bearings and returned his hug.

“Look at you!” He said when he pulled away. “You’re all grown up! I mean, we all are, but still.”

You chuckled, the tension of the rest of the room suddenly forgotten. “Me? Look at you. The last time I saw you, you were this tiny, scrawny little freshman crossing his fingers he’d make the varsity baseball team.”

He was far from the freshman you remembered. He was much taller now, and rather than scrawny, you could tell he’d spent a fair amount of time working out. His shoulders were wider, and while his face still looked like the Eric you remembered, it had also broadened.

Even his hair had changed. No longer the deep brown, he had dyed it white-blond, though you could see his roots starting to show.

“I did!” He laughed.

“Make the team, that is,” Q interrupted before you could respond.

The smile you had gotten because of Eric fell as you turned to look at Q.

It was the first time you allowed yourself to look at him since Jacob had brought you there. He sat in front of New, who had elected to give you his back. Sunwoo sat to his right with two girls you didn’t recognize on his right. You could feel the three of them staring at you. The two girls glared at you, though you didn’t understand why.

Sunwoo didn’t glare.

His stare was cold and emotionless.

You could hardly bear to glance at him, so you focused on Q, whose eyes pierced through you in a glare.

He didn’t look much different. His facial features, if anything, had only sharpened enough to signal he’d grown older.

In the silence that came after his words, one of his eyebrows ticked upward in challenge, and he let his spoon drop onto his food tray. “But you wouldn’t know that would you?”

You swallowed. The look he was giving you.

“Q--”

He sneered, “Changmin.”

“W-what--”

“It’s Changmin to you. You have no right to call me Q anymore.”

“I- I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?” New scoffed without looking at you.

“New--”

“No.” He shook his head and, a moment later, slammed his spoon onto the table. “You have no right to call me New.”

“I’m sorry,” your whisper echoed in the silence.

New-- Chanhee, at your apology, finally turned and glared at you just as Q-- Changmin did.

“Whatever for?”

You flinched.

“Why did you even come? Did you think we’d be waiting for you? With open arms at that?”

“New.” Sangyeon snapped.

Rolling his eyes, he turned around without waiting for you to answer.

There was a lump in your throat, and it grew in the silence that returned. Tears threatened to escape you though you fought to keep them at bay with your gaze trained on the floor.

“I should go,” you whispered.

Though you didn’t mean to look at him, your gaze fell on Sunwoo before turning around. He remained expressionless, looking at you with cold brown eyes. He wasn’t glaring at you, but the grip he had on his spoon felt like enough for you to know what he felt.

Clutching the blanket around your shoulders, you were halfway to the doors when Jacob stopped you.

“Wait! Aren’t you hungry? Don’t you want to eat?”

“No, thanks.” You cast him a glance over your shoulder. “I wouldn’t want to impose.”

You were halfway down the hall when Eric came running out from the cafeteria.

“Wait! Y/N, wait! You don’t even know where you’re going! I’ll show you to your room!”

You sniffed as he caught up with you.

“Oh. Oh, don’t cry. It’ll be fine. Everything will be fine. They--”

She shook her head and waved for him to stop.

Together, they walked in silence toward the entrance, where they took the hall opposite the door. He led her upstairs to the second floor and through the hallway, turning right when they reached the end.

“Your room’s all the way back here. It’s Mrs. LaCroix's old classroom.”

You nodded.

“I would have given you one closer to us-- most of us are downstairs, but all of the classrooms have already been taken. A few of us have rooms up here, near the stairwell. Mine’s the one right next to the bottom of the stairs if you need me.”

“Thank you,” you croaked out when you reached the classroom.

“Here,” he said, holding out a box you hadn’t noticed he was carrying.

“What is this?”

“Provisions,” he answered, smiling at you. “Blankets, some pillows, things to make the bed and your room.”

“Thanks, Eric.”

“You,” he hesitated, “You are staying, right?”

You hesitated to answer, studying the floor by his feet. You didn’t imagine you’d be welcome to stay.

But. before you could figure out your answer, he spoke again. “Sleep on it. There’s a sandwich in there. You should eat it before going to sleep. I know it’s been a long day. And the guys-- they’re just-- Sunwoo-- he’s--”

You nodded but said nothing in return.

He sighed. “I missed you, Y/N. I’m glad you’re here. I’ll see you in the morning. Goodnight.”

“I missed you too. Goodnight, Eric.” The words came out quieter than you intended them to, but he heard them, and he pulled you into another hug before pulling away.

You watched him make his way down the hallway and disappear around the corner before entering the room Eric had prepared for you. The door had yet to close before you were slumping onto the mattress that had been laid on top of multiple desks.

You rummaged through the box, looking for the sandwich Eric had promised. It was the only thing that mattered to you now. You would eat it, focus on the textures and flavors in your mouth, and force yourself to forget everything else. And later, when the lights turned off, you would force yourself to sleep, though it wouldn’t stop your tears from escaping.

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